Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Thanksgiving weekend is often the customary time for putting up the Christmas tree. Each family has their own traditions for this family event. Many love the yearly pilgrimage to select and cut their own tree. The specially selected tree fills the house with that wonderful evergreen Christmas scent. Other families have opted for the artificial tree for many reasons. It is generally less of a fire hazard and will outlast the fresh cut tree. If purchasing a live Christmas tree, be careful. Many of those trees will have been cut for over a month by the time Christmas arrives. Regardless of the kind of Christmas tree, the decorations are very important. There is the family treasure tree, which features little ornaments that your children have made in school each year. The fact that they become ragged and worn only adds to their special appeal. Some families put up several trees each year. There is the family tree and maybe a theme tree in another room. The possibilities are endless. Before electricity, candles were actually put on the tree on Christmas Eve. Talk about a fire hazard! There are different schools of thought about Christmas tree lights. Do you prefer white or colored lights? In recent years we have a new kid on the block- LED Christmas lights. While these lights are a bit more expensive than the traditional mini lights, they will last much longer. The old incandescent lights only last about 2,000 hours while the LED bulbs will last for 100,000 hours or more. If you have ever felt the frustration of a string of lights that are partially burned out due to one bad bulb, then you will appreciate these LED lights even more. The LED bulbs do not have filaments. Hence, they will not burn out. They are virtually indestructible even if you accidently step on the string of LED sights. If you still are not convinced, consider the fact that they are so much more energy efficient. They use 90% less energy than the incandescent lights allowing you to save on your electricity bill. Many of us have made the leap to the CFL light bulbs. These compact fluorescent light bulbs can be recognized by the swirl. According to the TVA, “Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are a good choice for home lighting because they use less energy than incandescent bulbs, produce the same light output, and last up to 10 times longer. Each bulb can save $40 or more in electricity costs over its lifetime.” If you are looking to update your Christmas tree this year, the brighter LED lights may be just what you need to lessen your own carbon footprint on the planet.